Maritime history of Florida
The maritime history of Florida describes significant past events relating to the
A long and flat peninsula surrounded by the
Humans have inhabited Florida for at least twelve thousand years, and perhaps more. The earliest inhabitants would not recognize their home today, because the sea level is twenty to fifty
From at least six thousand years ago, the native people of Florida traveled the waterways and coasts by
European exploration (1500 - 1700s)
In the late 15th and early 16th centuries, looking for a faster way to Asia by sea, European explorers sailed west and ran into the
Ponce de León was followed by fellow Spaniard
In 1562, the French sent
In 1565, Spaniard
Late 16th through the 18th centuries
From the late 16th through the 18th centuries, the Spanish sent annual convoys of merchant and military escort vessels from
The homeward bound Spanish plate fleets followed the
17th and 18th centuries
Over the years, many Spanish ships were lost off the Florida coast with the greatest disasters suffered by the fleets of 1622, 1715 and 1733. In 1622, eight ships were lost in a hurricane as they entered the Florida straits. During the 20th century, the remains of a number of lost ships have been found, including Nuestra Señora de Atocha from the 1622 fleet, Urca de Lima from the 1715 fleet and San Pedro from the 1733 fleet.
Eleven Spanish galleons were lost in the hurricane of 1715, wrecking on the shallow
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Spanish, French and English continued to fight over territory and religion in Florida. The British in
During the
Spain captured Pensacola in 1781 and regained control of the rest of Florida in 1783, when Britain gave Florida to Spain in exchange for the Bahamas and Gibraltar. Around 1797, Spain built two forts at Pensacola Bay in the vicinity of the earlier British fort. Little physical evidence of these forts remains but what does remain is preserved at Gulf Islands National Seashore.
Although Britain's control of Florida was brief, its effect on the
It was during Florida's second Spanish period that folklore claims that shipping in the Gulf of Mexico was ravaged by the pirate José Gaspar (also known as Gasparilla) from his "regal" base in Charlotte Harbor. Though Gaspar is a well-known figure along Florida's Gulf coast and is celebrated at Tampa's annual Gasparilla Pirate Festival, there is no archival or physical evidence that he ever existed.[1]
18th and 19th centuries
Spain ceded Florida to the United States as part of the
Florida's first coastal navigational aid was a 1586 Spanish watchtower at St. Augustine, but the first true lighthouse was a seventy three-foot harbor light built there in 1824.
The
In 1826, construction began on the
Near the end of the 19th century, and as a result of the Spanish–American War, Tampa and other Florida ports became staging areas for tens of thousands of U.S. troops and supplies headed to Cuba. With the advent of manned controlled flight and the building of aircraft carriers and seaplanes, an aviation training station was established by the U.S. Navy at Pensacola in 1913 and another in Jacksonville in 1940.
Following statehood in 1845, Florida's economy became stronger and the principal ports shipped vast quantities of
Florida seceded from the Union in 1861 and joined the Confederacy. During the Civil War, Florida's ports were blockaded by the Union and blockade runners delivered supplies needed by the Confederacy in exchange for Florida products. Although there were some vessel casualties on both sides, the major naval battles took place in states north of Florida. One unfortunate casualty in Florida waters was the Union transport ship Maple Leaf that struck a Confederate mine.
After the Civil War, tenant
Late 19th century
During the late 19th century, the federal government and local port authorities made improvements to channels and harbors and charted and mapped Florida's waters. These improvements, along with technological advances in navigation and
The Florida Keys contain the only coral reefs in the continental United States, making it a haven for fish and coral. These same reefs are hazards to navigation. Thousands of ships have wrecked over the centuries in the Keys and elsewhere in the waters of Florida. The most famous Spanish wreck found west of the Florida Keys was the above-mentioned Nuestra Señora de Atocha, found after a sixteen-year search by Mel Fisher in 1985. The value of the ship's treasure has been estimated at $300,000,000.
In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the U.S. Coast Guard had to deal with thousands of Cubans trying to make it to the shores of Florida. More than 2,700 were stopped in 2005. Often crossing the strait in home-made rafts and boats, it is unknown how many have lost their lives in the attempt. Under U.S. and Cuban law, emigration is illegal, and any Cuban attempting to reach the U.S. found at sea will be deported. Under a 1995 migration accord between the two nations, Cubans who make it to the shores of Florida or other states are generally allowed to remain.
See also
References
- ^ "The Legend of Gasparilla (reprint)" (PDF). Boca Grande Historical Society. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
- Alligator Reef, Florida – [1]
- De Soto National Memorial (National Park Service) – [2]
- Florida, DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, 2004, pgs. 26, 27, 110 & 200
- Florida Maritime Heritage Trail – [3]
- Florida's Shipwrecks and Treasures – [4]
- Heraldtribune.com – [5]
- Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society – [6]
- Naval Historical Center – USS Alligator – [7]
- St. Augustine-America's Ancient City – [8]
- The Legend of Gasparilla: Myth and History on Florida's West Coast – [9] (PDF)
- The Pensacola Maritime Site – [10]
- This article contains text from the National Park Service, which is in the Public domain. The text is from the essay Brief Maritime History of Florida in the National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary Florida Shipwrecks: 500 Years of Maritime History – [11]